The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1887-03-17

1--WE all envy you. | wore my sweetes
smile for John Vernon in vain for
more than a year. and Belle Hunter
gave up the only chance she had to 90
abroad, thinking that he would surely
ask her to marry him, but he didn't.
Well, must be going. | suppose it is
quite useless to ask you to come and
see me soon, for now that you've got
home you'll be too utterly happy to
care for the society of your old
friends"
Il shall never be too busy nor too
happy to see my old friends" said
Mildred warmly, though her face still
wore a troubled look. ..Tell me, Liz
zie." she added, suddenly. do all my
old friends predict that l shall not be
happyP" :,
Didn't | say we were all full of envy
and jealousy? You are not really vexed
with me, are you, MillyP You still
count me as your best friendP"
Until You prove an enemy" said
Mildred, lightly, not answering the
first question.
Miss Lay was a little vain, a little
shallow, and yet not bad at heart, and
when she parted with Mildred that
morning she had not the smallest idea
OF the sting her thoughtless words had
left behind.
Alone, Mildred asked herself for the
first time in her life how it was posi-
BILE that she had ever tolerated the
young girl who had just left. In her
present state of mind it seemed prepos-
| fn,.nr,c That che chon1l h,un nptorf,;,a
even the slightest feeling of friendship
for such a creature. She remembered
with a feeling of self contempt that IN
til now she had looked upon Lizzie Lay
as her warmest and truest friend. yet
why should l worry over the senseless
chatter of a silly, frivolous grip" she
asked herself, as she went back to her
pretty room, and taking a book, sat
down by the window to read, and the
first thing her eyes fell upon was the
words From John to Helen" written
in her husbands bold hand on the fly
leaf.
Her book!r she said, feeling a sud-
den pang of jealous pain for which she
could hardly have accounted, and al
most unanimously she laid the book
aside.
They had been school-mates, Mildred
Lawson and Lizzie Lay; had spent their
common vacation together, either at
Mildred's home, or in the pretty little
western town where Lizzie resided. 1t
was at the latter's home that Mildred
had formed the acquaintance of John
Vernon, and after a short courtship
consented to become his wife. 1t was
a matter of much surprise to Mildred's
friends when it became a settled fac:
that she was to marry Mr.. Vernon.
Knowing her strong aversion to wild
overs, and her rather eccentric notions
upon the subject of marriage, it is not
strange that many wondered at her
choice, though it is quite probable that
envy was at the bottom of much of the
gossip. For years mothers had schem- !
ed and planned, and daughters had
worn their sweetest smiles, in order to
~captivate John Vernon, but he had
been proof against all until he met Mil
bred Lawson. Then those who haG
concluded that he would never marry |
again were obliged 10 acknowledge
that, however faithful he had seemed
to be TO the memory of his dead wife, |
he was certainly deeply in love with
Mildred.
Mildred had been a wife four months
quite long enough to begin to realize
that marriage meant something more
than a beautiful home over which no
shadow would ever fail, and a husband
who would always be blind to her
faults; and perhaps she would have
realized it soone had it nOt been that
Immediately after her marriage she had
been hurried into 4 vortex of gaiety,
visiting and sightseeing. which left her
no time for reflection. SO she had con-
tinued to view life. married life at least,
through r~ose-colored spectacles, until
Mss Lays visit, two days after the
Then it seemed that her
eyes were suddenly opened to the fact.
that, as John Vernon $ wife, she would
be constantly reminded in a hundred
different ways, that not only was she
her husbands second choice, but that
she occupied the second place in his
heart.
Il should have thought of all this
before L consented to marry him." she
told herself bitterly, her eyes wander
in spite of herself, to the portrait
on the wall. land yet he might have
spared me the pain of finding some
thing every day to remind me of her,"
she added, with childish unreasonable
ness, forgetting that only a little while
ago she had protested that it was her
wish that nothing should be changed
about the house. John should not
have married such a foolish, jealous
hearted girl" she unused, with a sudden
revulsion of feeling. as she drummed
on the window-pane, against
which Il heavy rain had commenced to
The day was dark and gloomy, ,
quite in keeping with her dismal
thoughts, though only this morning
she had called herself the happiest wo- !
man in the world! How true it is that
the veriest tritles make up the sum OF
human happiness or woe! Because of
few careless words. spoken in half :
Jest. Mildred wandered aimlessly from .
room to room. torturing herself with a ,
hundred p~erplexing questions, until :
brain and heart alike ached. and she ;
was at last forced to lie down and sob
herself to sleep. |.
She woke with n student start when .